Why Should You Care?

Republican

We would like to believe that our elected officials, democrats and republicans alike, are persons of integrity and high moral standard and that they realize that the reason that their station exists is to advance the common good of "We The People". We would like to believe that if given the chance, free from corruption and influence by the wealthy and corporations that they will do exactly that. This amendment is intended to free them from their ties and bonds with the greedy and power glutinous and enable them to do exactly what they were elected to their posts to do! It is apparent that they can no longer free themselves so "We The People" must take action in order to regain our prosperity and ensure the American Dream for future generations.

The beliefs of the Republican party presented below and a reflection on how these core beliefs are being violated by wealth based and corporate influence.

We're fortunate to live in America and that the United States has been blessed with a unique set of individual rights and freedoms available to all.

Did you know that money equals free speech in this country? We all have one voice but do we all have a million dollars? According to Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976), the supreme court ruled that spending money to influence elections is a form of constitutionally protected free speech! Our supreme court, who mind you does not have a code of ethics, interpreted the constitution in a manner that allows a rich "Person" to as much free speech as they can afford. Is this consistent with the republican value that there are individual rights and freedoms available to all? Also did you know that corporations are "Persons"? Something to consider!

In another, more recent, supreme court decision "Citizens United" it became possible for corporations, unions and wealthy individuals to provide unlimited campaign contributions to influence campaigns. Democrats and Republicans alike have gotten around campaign finance laws with and have gained corporate sponsorship via Political Action Committees (PAC's). The way they work is that corporations and very rich people can give money to a political action committee, (because money equals free speech) and these committees can run campaigns for or against people running for office. The best part of all is that these PAC's (Political Anti-Christ) can receive money unanimously from anyone including corporations, foreign individuals or even foreign governments. It is sort of like money laundering. In addition, the Chamber of Commerce (A DC lobbying empire) has seen a great inflow of money from anonymous donors including donations from foreign countries which are being utilized to fund campaigns and currently the majority of that money is going to Republican candidates.

You can be what you are, and become what you are capable of becoming and that this should be achieved via the power and ingenuity of the individual to succeed through hard work, family support and self-discipline.

Did you know that out of 34 countries, the U.S. ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math (usatoday.com). Even countries such as Slovenia and Hungary rank higher in science and math. During the sharp dip in economic output in 2008 and 2009 corporations laid off hundreds of thousands of employees and although by 2010 the U.S. economic output was near pre-recession levels, corporations didn't hire people back. Between 2008 and 2010 there was a 6 fold increase in productivity by American Workers. Fewer people working even harder helped corporate profits to go up by 22% during this same time. The answer was "Just a minute Johnny, I have to finish my work, then I'll help you with your homework". Although incomes for 90% of U.S. workers have stagnated or fallen in the last three decades, the wealthiest 0.1% are making 6.4 times as much as they did in 1980. (latimes.com) In 2009 women accounted for 47.3% of the workforce up from 29% in 1950 (aflcio.org). Finally according to the CDC, for every two couples that got married in 2010, one coupled got divorced.

Helping those around you is worthwhile this is best achieved via voluntary giving and community support over taxation and forced redistribution.

Did you know that over one half of our representatives in congress are millionaires and that over half of all Fortune 500 companies pay no taxes at all. In addition the richest people in this country pay a lower tax rate than the whole of the middle class? Both democrats and republicans alike have supported policies that have forced the redistribution of prosperity toward the richest in our country. They have done so because they two have benefited both politically and financially.

Did you know that our government is currently borrowing 39 cents of every dollar they are spending which is down from 40 cents on the dollar during the Bush administration. Is this the way you do your budget in your home? Is this debt the legacy that you want to leave your children? Where did all the money go? Did you realize that the 400 richest people in this country have the same amount of wealth as all other Americans combined? They are not responsible for that debt because they have their cash! You and I and our children are responsible for that debt! How did they get so rich one might ask? Follow the money! Who sponsors our elected officials? We send them to Washington DC and they stay there by doing favors for those who pay to keep them there. Corporations! Who owns your representatives? Is there a difference between forced redistribution from our government and purchasing tax breaks and corporate loopholes to redistribute prosperity? Who is your representative out to dinner with tonight? How much free speech do you have? Well, since money = free speech, I'm sure someone else has more! Was it not the declaration of independence that stated that "All men are created equal"? I guess we are all born equal but some of us eventually have bigger mouths!

Small government is a better government for the people and like our nation's founders, feel thatgovernment must be limited so that it never becomes powerful enough to infringe on the rights of individuals.

Let's start off by figuring out what a government is. The origin of the word fundamentally defines it as "the system by which something is governed"! If everyone in our government goes to the gym and works out daily and possibly even take steroids they might be defined as a "big" government. If they all eat a lot of fatty foods and become obese they might be considered a larger government. An alternative way to evaluate the size of government would be to look at the actual numeric evidence.

"From 1940 to end of year 2009, the average increase in the federal debt was 9.2% under a Democratic President and 8.2% under a Republican President when including World War II. When excluding World War II (therefore, 1946 to end of year 2009), the average increase in the federal debt was 4.8% under a Democratic President and 8.2% under a Republican President." https://www.truthfulpolitics.com.

It is important to contrast not so much between Republicans and Democrats, but between Democrats and "old-style Republicans (Eisenhower and Nixon)" on one hand (decreasing debt), and "new-style Republicans" on the other (increasing debt). From WWII until approximately 1980 the U.S. debt was relatively stable at about 0.3 trillion dollars. Since that time, however, the debt has gone up to almost 5.8 trillion dollars which is a an increase of almost 2000% (two thousand). As is evident in the graph below, this means that Republican presidents were responsible for almost 90% of the total U.S. Debt. It should be noted, however, that since that time the Obama administration has been responsible for about 4 trillion more in debt which means that the democrats are catching up quickly.

You know what to do with your money better than government and believe inlow taxes because individuals know best how to make their own economic and charitable choices.

If this is the case then why have our Republican Representatives and Senators chosen a course which places the highest tax burden on the greatest number of citizens. Here is how the plan to continue to give tax breaks to the rich actually effects our country. As you can see from the graph below right now we pay about 40 cents on the dollar to pay off our dept and the interest on that debt. If the tax cuts for the rich do not expire, as the Republicans would like, in about 20 years we will be paying 100% toward our debt and that means there will be nothing left for anything else in this country, including roads, Medicare, schools, police, military and all the other such government expenditures. Don't worry however, it won't be us that will have to pay for most of this, it will be our children. Don't let them bullshit you, our Republican representatives like taxes but only when the money comes out of the pockets of Main Street instead of their brethren on Wall Street, Oil Companies or their rich buddies.

The federal income tax accounted for 41.5 percent of federal receipts in 2010 (down from 49.6 percent prior to the Bush tax cuts of 2001 – 2003). Corporate taxes brought in only 8.9 percent, also down sharply since the recent recession. Also, over 1/2 of all fortune 500 companies paid no taxes in 2010.

Free markets keep people free and believe in logical business regulations that encourage entrepreneurs to start more businesses so more individuals can enjoy the satisfaction and fruits of self-made success.

Starting with Bill Clinton the "Logical business regulations" that were put in place as the result of, and in order to prevent another, great depression were relaxed. This trend was continued through the Bush Administration until Wall Street became somewhat of a lawless town like those from the wild west. With no sheriff in town to maintain order, big banks and investment firms, like snake oil salesmen, peddled their worthless goods as if they were gold. They filled their ten on gallon hats with your money and headed on out of town. I forgot to mention that while in town they also robbed the bank, taking your savings, and took your house too.

Leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, the banking industry was allowed to work more "Freely", doing so with less policing of their behavior. Like thieves they deceived us and then picked our pockets all the while driving the US economy into the ground. At the same time they made record profits and gave out huge bonuses at the expense of We The People. They knowingly gave home loans to millions of people whom they knew could not afford the payments, then packaged these loans a "Great Investment" and profiting off of them when sold on Wall Street. Then both Republicans and Democrats alike rewarded them by giving them huge bailouts after collapsing the housing market. Millions of Americans have been and are going to be foreclosed on and kicked out of their homes as a result of unethical behavior on the part of the banking industry!

Our Armed Forces defend and protect our democracy and Republicans are committed to preserving our national strength while working to extend peace, freedom and human rights throughout the world.

On September 28, 2002, President Bush proclaimed: "The Iraqi regime possesses biological and chemical weapons." and that "The regime has long-standing and continuing ties to terrorist groups, and there are Al Qaeda terrorists inside Iraq." Just over a year after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, the president and his administration used these two fears — unconventional weapons and terrorism — to win public approval for going to war in Iraq. But the premises proved to be false. The chief U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq concluded that President Saddam Hussein had no such weapons or the means to produce them, and the U.S. intelligence community determined that there was no meaningful connection between Al Qaeda and Iraq. These conclusions came too late, however. On March 20, 2003, Operation Iraqi Freedom began in an attempt to kill the Iraqi president and overthrow his regime. The Center for Public Integrity found that Bush and seven members of his administration made 935 demonstrably false statements in the lead-up to the war, from September 2001 to September 2003.

Casualties

American Soldiers: Dead

4,482

American Soldiers Wounded in Action:

32,210

Iraqi military and police killed:

16,623

Iraqi Civilians (Men, Women and Children)

103,000

Coalition Troops

4,799

Media

187

Iraqi Insurgents

26,320

(data from abcnews.go.com and wikipedia.org)

Cost

From the beginning of operations through July 31, 2011, the Department of Defense has allocated $704.6 billion for Operation Iraqi (abcnews.go.com)

According to a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report published in October 2007, the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could cost taxpayers a total of $2.4 trillion dollars by 2017 when counting the huge interest costs because combat is being financed with borrowed money. The CBO estimated that of the $2.4 trillion long-term price tag for the war, about $1.9 trillion of that would be spent on Iraq, or $6,300 per U.S. citizen.

White House War Profiteers!

Fact 1: Dick Cheney Was the CEO of Halliburton from 1995 to 2000Fact 2: The Bush/Cheney White House gave $16 billion in US government contracts to KBR, Inc. (Halliburton subsidiary) for work in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2004 to 2006Fact 3: KBR received more money in contracts than any other company for these wars and received 9 times more than the #2 company. (projects.publicintegrity.org)Fact 4: Bush and Cheney's lies netted Halliburton $16 billion in contracts. If you divide this by the number of US soldiers killed in Iraq which = 4,482 then their take home for each soldier is about $3.57 million.

Question?

How much did the net wealth of Dick Cheney and George Bush increase during their time in office at the expense of the lives of our troops?